Ruling On Reciting The Quran In Graveyards

Darulifta Ahlesunnat

(Dawateislami)

Question

   What do the scholars of Islam say regarding the following matters:

   1. What is the ruling regarding recitation of the Quran in graveyards, and conveying its reward to the deceased?

   2. Is reciting the Quran in a graveyard Makruh (disliked) according to Imam Abū Ḥanīfah رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه?

   3. A hadith explains how we should recite Sūrat al-Baqarah in our homes, and not make them graveyards (in summary). A certain deduction is then made from this. Some say, when not reciting the Quran in our homes makes the latter graveyards, this means one cannot recite the Quran in graveyards at all. What is the reality of such an inference?

بِسْمِ اللہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ ھِدَایَۃَ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ

   1) Reciting the Quran in a graveyard or seated near a grave, and conveying its reward to the deceased in the grave and other deceased believers, is permissible without doubt. Its permissibility is established from the Quran and hadith. Anyone reciting near a grave should take precaution to not tread or sit on any grave.

Elucidation

   Any righteous action a believer performs, whether obligatory or supererogatory, such as salah, reading the Quran, reciting the kalimah, sending ṣalāt upon the Prophet, fasting, performing ḥajj, giving zakāt, charity, etc., he can transmit its reward to other living or deceased Muslims. There is no specification of place for this. If a person recites the Quran in a graveyard, near a grave, at home or in any other place, observing the dictates of Islamic law; there is no problem in this at all. In fact, the permissibility of reciting at a grave is established in light of numerous hadith.

   In relation to donating charity on behalf of the deceased and their attainment of its reward, it is mentioned in a hadith of Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī:

ان رجلا قال للنبی صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ان أمی افتلتت نفسھا و أظنھا لو تکلمت تصدقت فھل لھا أجر ان تصدقت عنھا قال نعم

Translation: A man mentioned to the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, ‘My mother died suddenly. I think if she could speak, she would give charity. Will she receive reward if I give charity on her behalf?’ He replied, “Yes.”

   The reward of Nafl Salah may also be conveyed. As mentioned in Sunan Abū Dāwūd, the Companion Abū Hurayrah رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ said to those departing for ḥajj:

من يضمن لی منكم ان يصلی لی فی مسجد العشار ركعتين، او اربعا، ويقول هذه لابی هريرة

Translation: Who amongst you will guarantee me they shall offer two or four units ˹of salah˺ in Masjid al-ꜤAshshār and say, ‘These are for Abū Hurayrah’?

   Commenting on this, the hadith scholar ꜤAbd al- Ḥaqq Dīhlawi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه writes:

   This highlights how acts of worship at sacred places, and offering salah thereupon, earns the doer more reward. We also learn it is permissible to donate the reward earned from physical acts of  worship, to others. This is a view held by the majority of  scholars. As for worship involving the expending of wealth, conveyance of its reward is permissible by agreement.

   There are also clear statements relating to recital of the Quran by a graveside. It is narrated in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhari on the authority of the Companion Ibn ꜤAbbās رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ:

مر النبی صلی اللہ علیہ و سلم بقبرین فقال : انھما  لیعذبان و مایعذبان فی کبیر اما احدھما فکان  لایستتر من البول و اما الآخر فکان یمشی بالنمیمۃ ثم أخذ جريدة رطبة، فشقها بنصفين، ثم غرز فى كل قبرواحدة، قالوا : يا رسول اللہ ! لم صنعت هذا فقال لعله أن يخفف عنهما ما لم ييبسا

Translation: The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم passed by two graves and explained, “These two are indeed being punished, but not for any major sin. One did not protect himself from droplets of urine, and the other told tales.”

   He then took a fresh date tree branch, broke it into two pieces and planted one on each grave. The Companions asked, “O Messenger of Allah! Kindly inform us why you did this.” He replied, “As long as these two (the branches) do not dry, Allah will lessen the punishment of these two (the individuals in their graves).”

   Imam Nawawi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه comments on this hadith by saying:

استحب العلماء قراءة القرآن عند  القبر لهذا الحديث، لأنه إذا كان يرجي التخفيف بتسبيح الجريد فتلاوته اولي

   Translation: Scholars have deemed recital of the Quran at a graveside to be a commendable action, due to this hadith. When the tasbīḥ made by a date tree branch bears hopes of a lessening in punishment, then hope for the same due to Quranic recitation is of a higher degree.

   In a blessed hadith:

من مر بالمقابر فقرا احدی عشرۃ مرۃ قل ھو اللہ احد ثم وھب اجرہ الاموات  اعطی من الاجر بعدد الاموات

Translation: Whoever passed a graveyard, recited Sūrah al-Ikhlas eleven times and gifted its reward to the deceased, will be rewarded according to the number of the deceased.

   The Companion MaꜤqil b. Yasār رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ reports, the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said,

اقرأوھا علی موتاکم یعنی یٰسٓ

  - “Recite Sūrah Yā Sīn upon your deceased.”

   The grand hadith expert, Mullā ꜤAli Qāriˈ رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه comments on this hadith by saying,

ھذا یحتمل ان تکون ھذا القراءۃ عند المیت فی حال حیاتہ و یحتمل ان تکون عند قبرہ

Translation: It is possible this recital could be beside the dying person whilst they are still alive, or at their grave.

   2) Imam Abū Ḥanīfah رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه did issue statements expressing his dislike in this regard. People of knowledge know, however, that many varying viewpoints can be held on a singular matter in books of jurisprudence. Ultimately, only the strongest and most legally adopted viewpoints are considered part of a respective school or issue of jurisprudence.

   Different views are transmitted concerning recital of the Quran besides a grave. The view of it being permissible without dislike is conveyed from Imam Muḥammad رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه and others.  It is this view which is preferred and chosen in Ḥanafi jurisprudence, in light of the latter’s accepted principles.

   Additionally, which type of dislike is intended in the view of Imam Abū Ḥanīfah رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه? Clarification of this is not found in any written text. If the intended meaning is makrūh tanzīhī (minor dislike), it still means Imam Abū Ḥanīfah رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه considered it permissible. This is because is makrūh tanzīhī is not included in the categories of impermissible and haram. If the intended meaning is makrūh taḥrīmī (prohibitive dislike), then it will be interpreted as meaning the reciter sitting on a grave or there being a stench in the graveyard; in such a scenario the ruling will be of prohibition. Consequently, if it will not result in an act prohibited by Islamic law, recital of the Quran near a grave will also be permissible according to Imam Abū Ḥanīfah رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه.

   It is stated in Muḥīṭ al-Burhānī:

قراءۃ القرآن فی القبور عند ابی حنیفۃ  رضی اللہ عنہ تکرہ  و عند محمد لا تکرہ  قال صدر الشھید رحمہ اللہ : و مشائخنا اخذوا بقول محمد و حکی عن الشیخ الامام الجلیل ابی بکر محمد بن الفضل البخاری رحمہ اللہ  : ان القراءۃ علی المقابر اذا اخفی و لم یجھر   لا تکرہ و لا باس بہ و انما کرہ قراء ۃ القرآن فی المقبرۃ  جھرا و اما المخافتۃ  فلا باس بہ  و ان ختم  و قیل ان نوی ان یؤنسہ  بصوتہ یقرا

   At another juncture the author writes:

ان قراء ۃ القرآن فی المقبرۃ  ھل تکرہ المختار انہ لا تکرہ

   Precaution should be taken to ensure that one does not step or sit on any grave whilst reciting. It is stated in Bidāyah Sharḥ al-Hidāyah:

لاباس بقراء  ۃ القرآن  عند  القبور و لکن لا یجلس علی القبر

   The reason behind Imam Abū Ḥanīfah’s statement has been explained as follows in MajmaꜤ al-Anhur: 

(کرہ الامام القراءۃ عند القبر) لا ن اھل القبر جیفۃ و کذا یکرہ القعود علی القبر لانہ اھانۃ( و جوزھا) ای القراءۃ عند القبرمحمد (و بہ) ای بقول محمد (  اخذ) للفتوی لما فیہ من النفع لورود الآثار بقراءۃ آیۃ الکرسی و سورۃ الاخلاص و الفاتحۃ  وغیر ذلک عند القبور

   From this, it is apparent the prohibition of reciting the Quran next to graves according to Imam Abū Ḥanīfah رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه, is specific to certain scenarios. Outside of those scenarios, it will be permissible according to him also. Hypothetically speaking, if the ruling of prohibition applied to every scenario; even then, the preponderant opinion of the Ḥanafi school is the absence of dislike.

   3) In this hadith, encouragement has been given to recite Sūrat al-Baqarah in our homes. It was also mentioned homes should not be made into graveyards. Deriving that reciting the Quran is not allowed in graveyards entirely from this, is not correct. Rather, the Hadith depicts just a resemblance. In detail, this means if there is no recital of the Quran in a home, then it is like a grave in which the deceased do not recite. So do not make your homes empty of recital in similitude to graves; instead, recite the Quran in them.

   The final Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said,

قرءوا سورۃ البقرۃ فی بیوتکم  و لا تجعلوھا قبورا

   “Recite Sūrat al-Baqarah in your homes and do not make them into graves.”

   Allamah Munāwī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه comments on this hadith by saying:

(لا تجعلوھا قبورا) ای کالمقابر الخالیۃ عن الذکر و القراءۃ

    (Do not make them into graves) i.e., like graves, empty of dhikr and recitation of the Quran.

وَاللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَرَسُوْلُہ اَعْلَم صَلَّی اللّٰہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّم

Answered By: Mufti Muhammad Qasim Attari

Ref No: PIN-7114

Date: 28 Jumādā al-Ūlā 1444 AH, 23rd December 2022 CE